Airport monorail?

[Roderick Smith]

The line was built as double line bg, for freight. It was used when needed for passenger diversions.
In 1962, the east line was converted to sg, with crossing loops at McIntyre and Tullamarine.
The west line remained bg for freight, and occasional passenger diversions.
Into the disintegration era, the bg was undermaintained and had a clunkingly-slow limit. Then it was given away to ARTC for conversion to dg to act as an sg crossing loop.
Artificial rules about driver qualifications debarred the diversion of VLine trains: bringing in buses is management's only technique.
The stumbling block then becomes the bridge over Maribyrnong River. It could have coped with airport services by converging to single track for just the bridge, but the opportunity has been thrown away.
The useless PTV built the so-called RRL line for just 17 tph, and has designed the so-called 'Metro' line for only 23 tph.
Fixing either of these provides plenty of capacity for airport trains out of the city, but would now require a new expensive bridge.
The ultimatate stumbling block was identified today: ripoff fares because of airport policies (as evidenced in parking charges, Skybus fares, and all food & beverage charges).

A rail link to Melbourne Airport could come down to $7.96. 17.4.17.
Before the federal government, or anyone else for that matter, gets too excited about the prospects of an airport link to Tullamarine as part of an overdue $1 billion infrastructure refund to Victorians, there's a far more humble figure that we need to consider. Seven dollars and ninety-six cents, to be precise.
The significance of this relatively meagre sum hasn't featured in the long-winded debate over the airport link but it should, because it represents a key factor in whether a Melbourne link will ever be built and, if so, whether it will ever attract the anticipated patronage.
A plane takes off from Melbourne Airport, under the gaze of air traffic controllers. Photo: Craig Abraham .
Sydney's airport rail line is held up as a template for Melbourne and although Kingsford Smith is much closer to the city centre it shares with Tullamarine a critical characteristic: both are operated under 99-year leases from the federal government and their operators have the final say on what gets built on the land they control.
That's why it costs train commuters almost $8 to travel the one extra stop – less than 90 seconds of train time – from Mascot station, located outside Sydney airport, to the domestic terminal station located on the airport site. How does Sydney Airport get away with this legalised larceny? Quite simply it seems. As a lessee it's allowed to charge whatever it likes for having a station built on its premises.
The Skybus: the closest thing we have to a rail link. Photo: Roy Chu .
It's true that not all of the $7.96 for that last stop goes into Sydney Airport's pocket but a year ago The Sydney Morning Herald reported that around 80 per cent of the peak hour train ticket charge from the city ended up in Sydney Airport's bank account.
The lesson is clear. Melbourne airport's operators will seek to extract the same high rental for the sought after link, meaning the cost of travelling to the airport by rail will be far higher than anyone expects. Why? Because they can. Nothing in the Howard government era lease agreement will prevent a similarly usurious rental being demanded by Melbourne Airport's operators. Any proposal that does not reward the operator handsomely will result in them sitting on their hands for as long as it takes to extract a similarly prohibitive charge.
So, before the federal government starts throwing budget money on the table and raising expectations that an airport rail link is only a Victorian government nod away, perhaps it could answer this question: What will it do, as the lessor of the airport, to ensure that Melburnians don't get ripped off by an outrageously inflated rental charge courtesy of its lessee?
It's probably not a question the federal government wants to think about and not just because it didn't think through its 1997 lease. As owner of the Future Fund which holds a 20 per cent stake in Melbourne Airport's operator, Australia Pacific Airports, the federal government is hopelessly conflicted; the higher the rental charge imposed by the airport on any future rail line, the better off its Future Fund will be. Yet a higher rental fee will discourage passenger use, the very thing its forthcoming announcement hopes to one day achieve.
If the federal government wants to impress Victorians with its forthcoming announcement of airport rail link funding I have a simple suggestion. Announce at the same time that the ACCC will be given the power to regulate airport transport access charges, something the regulator has been seeking. That way not only will the likelihood of an airport rail link improve but it will be a fairer service for all who ultimately use it.
Tony Robinson served as Consumer Affairs Minister in the Brumby Government.
http://www.theage.com.au/comment/a-rail ... w#comments

[boronia]

* Wrong - Sydney's airport railway was privately built, hence the "station access charge." That is a fee levied by Sydney Airport Link company, who built the tunnels and operate the stations.
<www.airportlink.com.au/company>.

Yes, SAL levies the charge, but no doubt the Airport gets their pound of flesh out of it, via "rental".

But so does the State Government. Apart from the actual train fare component for Sydney Trains, the current agreement with SAL pours several $M into the state coffers each year. This is why the Government doesn't want to "subsidise" it as they have for the off airport stations.

[simonl]

* Wrong - Sydney's airport railway was privately built, hence the "station access charge." That is a fee levied by Sydney Airport Link company, who built the tunnels and operate the stations.
<www.airportlink.com.au/company>.

Still not quite right. The government built the line for around $800m. The private operator only built the stations for around $200m.

[Roderick Smith]

April 7 2017 Andrews government talks down Melbourne Airport rail as PM pledges cash .
The Andrews government has welcomed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's new interest in building a rail link to Melbourne Airport, but played down the project's urgency, arguing the best advice is it won't be needed for another 15 to 30 years.
Melbourne Airport rail was listed as a mid to long-term project in Infrastructure Victoria's recent 30-year planning blueprint for the state.
Despite warnings of worsening Tullamarine traffic, the Andrews government has made no commitment to a rail line to the airport. Photo: Chris Hopkins .
The Andrews government has said it is happy to be guided by that independent advice and has made no commitment to build a rail line to the airport.
"The independent Infrastructure Victoria report that was released late last year indicated that an airport rail link is needed within the next 15 to 30 years and we certainly want to work towards achieving that," Victoria's Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan Ms Allan told ABC Radio on Friday morning.
This is despite recent warnings from Melbourne Airport that its visitor numbers are growing so fast that it expects the Tullamarine Freeway will choke with traffic well before then.
The airport expects to welcome 64 million passengers a year 15 years from now, almost double the current volume.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he was a "big supporter" of rail and that it was an "omission" that Melbourne did not have an airport rail line.
"It's very important to have more rail, particularly now in our big cities as they become more densely settled but we're talking to colleagues about our infrastructure priorities," Mr Turnbull said.
But he would not be drawn on specific details ahead of the budget when questioned on 3AW morning radio.
Federal Transport Minister Darren Chester, who is also the member for Gippsland, has been in talks with his state counterpart Jacinta Allan.
Fairfax Media understands that planning work is well advanced to upgrade the Gippsland rail corridor, a train line that services the Latrobe Valley, which has been hard hit by the closure of the Hazelwood power station.
The intervention from Canberra to use the asset-recycling cash on the airport rail link has frustrated many in the Andrews government, who want the $1.45 billion Victoria is entitled to spent on infrastructure projects that are shovel-ready.
There is also frustration that the Turnbull government is dictating how the entitlement should be spent when other state governments, particularly NSW, are given much more freedom to spend their allocation from the scheme.
Under Treasurer Joe Hockey the asset-recycling scheme was set up to make a payment to the state of an extra 15 per cent of any privatisation sales made, which could be reinvested into critical infrastructure.
But when Victoria sold the Port of Melbourne for $9.7 billion the Turnbull government said it would only pay an agreed $877 million to the project, of which the vast majority was to be spent on Melbourne Metro rail.
Since then there has been haggling over Victoria seeking its full entitlement of $1.45 billion to spend on projects it sees fit.
In March, Melbourne Airport told The Age: "We need a detailed study into feasible solutions now because construction will take a decade and realistically the solution will need to be operational in the next 10 to 15 years."
Money for an airport rail link is expected to feature in the April federal budget, along with an injection of cash for an upgrade of fault-prone regional rail lines to Warrnambool, Gippsland and Albury, News Corp reported on Friday.
Ms Allan said Melbourne's rail network could not support an airport rail line until the Melbourne Metro tunnel is completed in 2026.
"We welcome the Commonwealth's interest in the Airport Rail Link, and look forward to working with them to advance a business case on this project, which can't be built until the completion of the Metro Tunnel," Ms Allan said.
"We also welcome their interest in regional rail, after months of working to convince the Turnbull government that investing in regional rail and public transport was worthwhile. We now hope to work with them to get even more shovels in the ground in Victoria's regions."
The former Napthine government spent $6.5 million on a feasibility study into an airport rail link, which recommended it should take a dogleg route via Sunshine station and the Albion-Jacana spur line used by trains between Melbourne and Sydney.
It also found the Melbourne Metro tunnel would need to be up and running before an airport link could be supported.
But some experts fear Melbourne Metro will be too crowded out by trains on the fast-growing Sunbury and Melton lines to ever support an airport rail link.
In March, Ms Allan was briefed on a proposal for a separate airport rail tunnel between Southern Cross Station and Sunshine, which would make for a 15-minute trip between the city and the airport.
The Air Train proposal, developed by the Rail Futures Institute, would also need a dedicated fleet of trains designed for airport travellers. The project has an estimated price tag of more than $5 billion.
Related Content
Despite warnings of worsening Tullamarine traffic, the Andrews government has made no commitment to a rail line to the ...
Government warned Melbourne Metro won't support future airport rail link .
Age editorial dinkus square .
Low-carbon vision for high-growth Melbourne .
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/andre ... vfmxn.html

also the Fri.7.4.17 Melbourne Herald Sun version.

[Roderick Smith]

170408Sa Melbourne 'Herald Sun' - airport line.

Roderick.

[simonl]

Is the proposal a standard guage train or a broad guage train if it's using the Albion-Jacana line?

I think I know the answer but if it's broad guage won't the single track along that line be a bit of a problem?

[neilrex]

The money would be better spent on upgrading the Cragieburn line to 10 minutes or better frequency, and adding more 901 short services between Broadmeadows and the airport. And using a set-down stop closer to the terminal, than the current one is. Even if the pickup stop has to be 200 metres further away because there might be a short layover for the bus, that's no reason why the bus cannot set down closer.

[Roderick Smith]

170410M Melbourne 'Herald Sun' - editorial, airport line.

This lineup explains why an airport railway is a 30 year future project: all finance people, no engineer, and the ceo as the only public-transport person.

Infrastructure Victoria:
CEO - Michel Masson: started his career at Deloitte before joining the Bollore Group where he held various senior finance positions in the transport and logistics division in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. In 2005 he joined Keolis as head of Finance and Operations for the International Division where he was responsible for leading public transport operations in seven countries and held various non-executive director positions in UK and German rail franchises.
Michel was appointed CEO of Yarra Trams in 2009 and helped lead the development of Keolis Downer throughout Australia, before joining the Calibre group in 2014 to create and lead its Transport Infrastructure business.
Michel is a graduate from the Harvard Business School (AMP), the EDHEC Business School in France, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) credential and is a member of the US CFA Institute.
Michel became an Australian citizen in 2014.
Infrastructure Victoria is led by a board of seven members comprising four members from the private or non-government sectors, and three from the public sector.
* Jim Miller was an Executive Director at Macquarie Capital from 1994-2015, with experience across a range of sectors, working with both government and private sector clients. Jim has extensive experience in infrastructure having worked in the areas of regulated assets, transport, energy, utilities and resources and social infrastructure. He has both a Bachelor and Masters of Economics from Macquarie University. He is currently the Deputy Chair of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries Australia.
* Deputy Chair – Maria Wilton: is the Managing Director of Franklin Templeton Investments Australia and is also a director of the Financial Services Council of Australia and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Maria has previously held board roles with Melbourne Water, the Australian Government Employees Superannuation Trust, Emergency Services and State Super, and Victoria Legal Aid. She has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Tasmania and is a Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees.
* Professor Margaret Gardner AO is the current President and Vice Chancellor of Monash University. Prior to this, Margaret was the President and Vice Chancellor of RMIT from April 2005 to August 2014. Margaret is currently the chairperson of the Museum Victoria board, as well as a director of Universities Australia and the Fulbright Commission Advisory board. She has a first class honours degree in economics and a PhD from the University of Sydney, as well as a Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship.
* Ann Sherry AO: is the Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Australia, the leading cruise ship operator in Australia. Prior to this role, Ann was the CEO of Westpac New Zealand, as well as the CEO of the Bank of Melbourne. Ann has several non-executive roles including with ING Direct (Australia), The Myer Family Company Holdings Pty Ltd, Australian Rugby Union and Jawun. Other roles include the Chair of Safe Work Australia, Australian Indigenous Education Foundation) and Deputy Chair of the Tourism & Transport Forum. She also has extensive experience in the public sector, including as the First Assistant Secretary of the Office of the Status of Women in the Australia Government. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma of Industrial Relations.
* Chris Eccles was appointed Secretary of Victoria’s Department of Premier and Cabinet in December 2014. As Secretary, Chris leads the department and the Victorian Public Service in advising the Premier and the Government of Victoria. Chris has extensive public sector experience, having been Director-General of the New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet from 2011 to 2014, and Chief Executive of the South Australian Department of the Premier and Cabinet from 2009 to 2011. He has also held leadership positions at the ACT Chief Minister’s department and with the Australian National Training Authority. Prior to moving into the public sector, Chris was an Associate Director with KPMG and then a foundation Director of the consulting firm, Phillips KPA. Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University.
* Adam Fennessy: has been Secretary of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning since January 2015. Adam leads the department in protecting and enhancing Victoria's natural and built environment and heritage. Adam has extensive public sector experience, having held senior positions at government departments across a range of portfolios including infrastructure, resources and environment. He is a member of the national Senior Officials Committees for environment, water and planning. Adam is a Victorian Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from Monash University.
* David Martine: has been the Secretary of the Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) since 2014. He leads the department in providing economic, policy and service delivery advice to the Victorian Government. Prior to joining DTF, David held a number of senior roles in the Commonwealth public sector, most recently as Deputy Secretary Aged Care in the Department of Social Services. He has also worked for the Commonwealth Treasury and was Deputy Secretary, Budget Group in the Department of Finance and Deregulation. He has a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from Monash University and a Master of Business Administration.
www.infrastructurevictoria.com.au/our-people

Roderick.

[Roderick Smith]

170520Sa Melbourne 'Herald Sun' - airport line.

Roderick.

[Roderick Smith]

Roderick


Melbourne airport rail link may be built without Victorian funding.
Herald Sun June 27, 2017.
•Turnbull Government to pour cash into Melbourne airport rail •Bill Shorten says Melbourne airport rail link is a ‘no brainer’
•Key Labor union urges Melbourne airport rail link be endorsed •Start planning Melbourne airport rail link now: Lyell Strambi A RAIL link to Melbourne airport could be built without Victorian funding because the Turnbull Government is willing to ­explore all options to kickstart the project.
The Herald Sun understands that Canberra is also keen for the airport-to-CBD link to run through the ­former defence site at Maribyrnong — a 127ha precinct that could fit up to 6000 new homes.
This route could link Footscray with Tullamarine, with a direct track through the new suburb also servicing Highpoint Shopping Centre.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sees the multi-billion-dollar airport link as a high priority and is keen to explore all viable funding options.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sees ta multi-billion-dollar Melbourne airport link as a high priority. Picture: AAP/Mal Fairclough These could include outright federal ownership of the project — with Canberra financing and delivering the rail link.
The Commonwealth has committed $30 million to develop a business case. Private sector proposals will also be considered, with a strong emphasis to be put on servicing growth areas and recovering some of the value the project would generate for private landowners.
Mr Turnbull says the federal government will invest in a viable project that delivers taxpayer value. “The Commonwealth isn’t just an ATM, we want to be a partner in infrastructure,” he said.
“All of the world’s great cities have a rail link to the airport. Melbourne should be no different, if the business case stacks up.”
Mr Turnbull also pointed to the latest census figures, released on Tuesday, showing Melbourne would soon be the nation’s biggest city.
CENSUS DATA 2016: MELBOURNE OVERTAKES SYDNEY AS MOST POPULAR CITY The Andrews Government said in April it would look at opportunities to save money and deliver the Tullamarine rail link sooner through ­private ­sector proposals.
The state government has control of the rail network and would need to have some involvement in the project.
Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester on Tuesday said planning needed to start “as soon as possible”.
“We need to work out first of all, what’s the question we’re trying to answer? Is it just about a rail link for the airport or is it to provide another function in terms of linking the outer suburbs as well?” Mr Chester told the ABC.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has also flagged his interest in the project this year, saying he wanted to work with Mr Turnbull to “look at possible paths” for the rail line.
A $5 billion private plan for a light rail line using driverless trains to connect the city to the airport, Doncaster and Monash University is also likely to be considered.
DRIVERLESS TRAINS A PART OF EXPANDED AIRSHUTTLE PROPOSAL Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has also flagged his interest in the Melbourne airport rail link project. Picture: Kym Smith The technology could then be expanded to Sunbury, Ringwood and Dandenong.
Melbourne airport has said a train connection would be required within 15 years, with Tullamarine expected to be catering for 64 million passengers in that time, 30 per cent more than predicted by the state government’s planning body Infrastructure Victoria.
The airport argues this surge will increase traffic on the Tullamarine Freeway by 50 per cent and cause “untenable delays”.
The Herald Sun revealed last year that super fund giant IFM Investors, which owns 23.67 per cent of the airport, was interested in investing in the rail link.
IFM also owns Southern Cross station, the most likely connection point for trains to and from the airport, The pensions giant is closely monitoring which infrastructure projects it can invest in, with chief executive Brett Himbury even dining with US Vice-President Mike Pence recently to discuss the Trump administration’s planned $1 trillion infrastructure blitz.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victor ... 1611a48085, with 48 comments

[Roderick Smith]

Southern Cross - Melbourne Airport: 19 km direct, but via Essendon 21? via Maribyrnong could be 27 km, probably 23.
18 min needs 70 km/h. No monorail in the world goes faster than 65 km/h, and most are slower [Haneda may have been upped to 80, but was so bumpy at 65 that I don't know how the feat was achieved).
The only monorail in the world which acts as a mass-transport system is Chongqin:larger vehicles than Haneda, and more of them. It wasn't faster than 65, mainly because of station spacing and curves.
Lots of trams can sit on 80.
Hence: if an aerial gimmick, use tram technology and gain synergy benefits.
How the the scifi Springfield plot even gain credibility?
Because of the incompetent DoI/DoT/PTV/TfV.
The original Essendon scheme could and should have worked, with expresses overtaking stoppers at Essendon, then making a cross-platform connection at 'Meadow Fair'.
The overpriced and overhyped and underengineered misnamed RRL could and should cope. It has gained next to nothing to Sunshine: 15 min was standard, 13 on a good day. Now it is 13 standard, and 12 on a good day.
Resignal and grade separate flat junctions, then the airport line could go via RRL and Albion. Duplicate on the broad easement. Retrieve the west track at Maribyrnong River: tough titties ARTC. A crossing loop doesn't have to clog a bridge. Likewise a short section of single line doesn't clog 10 min headways, despite what the useless PTV felt at Clifton Hill and Heidelberg. In both cases, the double line should have come right up to the short obstruction.
Now build the greenfields part on an easement which exists already.
Sunshine 12 min + 12 min (16 km at 80 km/h) 12 min = 24 min, with as much reliability as the disintegrated operators, police and ill passengers allow.
The distinction now has to be cost and benefits.
If RRL really can't cope, then divert Geelong via Werribee, where the claimed capacity gain hasn't been exploited. Run Wyndham Vale as a genuine suburban service via RRL (or run it via the suburban tracks to Sunshine).

Roderick.

State government to partner with Commonwealth for Melbourne airport rail link.
ANDREW JEFFERSON and TOM MINEAR, Herald Sun June 28, 2017.
VICTORIA is willing to work with Malcolm Turnbull to build the long-awaited airport rail link, with Acting Premier James Merlino saying the “important project” is being analysed in “partnership” with the Commonwealth.
Mr Merlino said the state government was working alongside its federal counterparts on a $30 million study to determine the best route for the train to Tullamarine, as well as the cost and “the best way to fund it”.
It comes after the Herald Sun revealed the Turnbull government could build the link without state funding, with all options on the table including an extended line linking a new suburb in Maribyrnong, Footscray and Highpoint Shopping Centre.
Private consortium Airshuttle Australia has put forward its own $1.5 billion proposal, with new plans detailing a route from Southern Cross with stops at Arden, Flemington, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, and Brimbank Park, which could incorporate a park-and-ride.
An artist’s impression of a $1 billion monorail proposed as a link to Melbourne Airport.
Including a stop at Arden would enable the airport link to connect with Melbourne Metro, opening up the possibility of a rail link all the way from Pakenham to the airport once the tunnel project is complete.
Mr Merlino said today it was “nice to see the prime minister … suddenly taking an interest in Victoria” with his ideas on airport rail.
He said Melbourne Metro needed to be built first to expand capacity on the rail network.
“We absolutely acknowledge that this is an important project but you need to do things in order,” he said.
Opposition leader Matthew Guy welcomed Mr Turnbull’s intervention, saying there was “no reason” why the federal government couldn’t go it alone on the airport rail link after it decided to build a second airport in Sydney.
He said the new train line was needed “whether it’s on conventional technology or new technology”.
Airshuttle Australia’s proposal, using elevated driverless trains, would see trips take 15 minutes on the preferred route along Tullamarine Freeway, while the Maribyrnong express route would take about 18 minutes.
Driverless trains would link Melbourne Airport to the city and high growth suburbs at Doncaster and Monash as part of an expanded airshuttle proposal.
Airshuttle Australia spokesman Peter O’Brien said using the Maribyrnong route, which was 10 per cent longer and 20 per cent dearer than the Tullamarine option, was not a deal-breaker.
“It has got some other attributes, it would pick up the Royal Showgrounds and Flemington racecourse and the tourism sector is quite excited about that,” he said.
Mr O’Brien said he did not think the Federal government needed to completely own the project because there was “quite an appetite to invest” from super funds.
HIGHPOINT STOP PLAN FOR AIRPORT RAIL LINK.
PUSH FOR FULLY STAFFED SKY RAIL STATIONS.
RADICAL PLAN FOR DRIVERLESS TRAINS.
MORE FUTURE MELBOURNE.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victor ... 27267aab6c
* Lyle Ladlow strikes again, and gullible politicians fall for it. Melbourne was bought for a few glass beads, and politicians are dazzled by shiny scifi cartoons. Unfortunately, PTV has rather poisoned the well for a proper railway, by underbuilding RRL to Sunshine, and underdesigning the new tunnel.Edit (in 6 minutes)
* for this to be economical, the cost will be app. $100 each way for at least a decade OR very heavy government subsidy.
Who is going to use it ?
* Why not build the Metro tunnel and airport rail concurrently Mr. Merlino? Your "build in order" plan is just dragging your heals. We need the infrastructure now, not in 20 years time. If both were to finish at the same time, where's the problem? Win win I say.
* My thought is the Victorian Government , pushed by the CFMEU, not wanting the Federal Government and/or private enterprise building this link.
The PM would be advised to be very careful going into any partnership with the State Government (CFMEU).
* Seems people are interesed but not the Victorian Govt.
Putting it after the tunnel is ridiculous, that's just a way of delaying it.
It should be conventional heavy rail, not some driverless monorail,
I think putting a station at Highpoint is a good idea.
* "Mr Merlino said today it was “nice to see the prime minister … suddenly taking an interest in Victoria”
It would be nice to see the premier of Victoria taking a (sudden) interest in Victorians, other than militant left-wing unions.
It would be doubly nice if the premier of Victoria and the Acting premier of Victoria took an interest in Victorians and consulted the community, not insulted the community.
* With or without state support, this needs to be priority.
The Flemington route may not be the cheapest but it is innovative and a game changer for connecting the North/West.
Perhaps for once, we can be proactive rather than reactive to the reality of Melbourne's growth.
The need to wait for Metro Tunnel to be completed is rubbish and we deserve better.
* If we are to have a successful airport rail link it will need to be an express service, and fast, frequent, reliable and affordable.
Anything less will not be used.
* If Labor builds it will be like their current fast country trains that go slower then the trains 50 years ago after wasting a few billion
* Hey maybe we could use one of those French built submarines to transport people to the Airport - Now lets do another 30 million dollar study.
* Let's hope it happens and quickly.
If the Commonwealth and the State could work together GREAT.
If it is to be conventional rail, it could be built at the same time as the metro, why delay.
If it isn't then the construction of the metro is irrelevant.

[Roderick Smith]

Roderick.

CityLink widening expected to ease airport congestion for only 10 years.
Herald Sun July 2, 2017.
A $1.3 BILLION project to widen the Tullamarine Freeway and CityLink is expected to ease congestion to the airport for only the next 10 years, says Melbourne Airport CEO Lyell Strambi.
When completed next year, extra freeway lanes are expected to save 30 minutes on a return trip between the CityLink tunnels and the airport.
With passenger numbers set to soar from 35 million to 64 million people by 2033, Mr Strambi said the newly designed freeway would likely cater for the airport’s growth over the next 10 to 15 years.
“The Tullamarine Freeway expansion is a really welcome development for us and it will ease traffic congestion to the airport,” Mr Strambi said.
“Our best estimate is that capacity will see us deal with demand for the next 10 to 15 years.
“If we keep growing at the growth rates that we’ve been growing at in recent years, it’s more likely 10, but if it eases off a little, it could be as long as 15.
The Tullamarine Freeway widening will only bring Melburnians congestion relief for 10 years according to the airport CEO. Picture: Nicole Garmston “That’s exactly why we are out there now saying we need the next solution, we really do need Government delivering on the rail project.
“Given that’s probably got a 10-year lead time, now is the right time to start that.”
The airport, which opened in 1970 to replace nearby Essendon Airport, is celebrating 20 years of private ownership today.
Mr Strambi said future improvements would likely include a fifth terminal as well as improving the overall passenger experience.
“The fact that Melbourne still remains a 24/7, 365-days a year unconstrained airport is a huge competitive advantage to Victoria,” he said.
“As our airport welcomes millions more passengers, we need to make sure that the traveller journey through the airport is as seamless and enjoyable as the rest of the trip.
“We want people to have a lasting impression of Melbourne, and the airport.
Melbourne Airport by the numbers.
“There’s no point having an airport that can cope with 60 million passengers if people physically can’t get to and from the airport.”
Mr Strambi admitted the airport, which collects nearly $400,000 a day in parking fees, could do more to explain its pricing policy to customers.
“Nobody enjoys paying for parking whether that is in the suburbs, in the city, or at the airport,” he said.
“The truth is we have a really wide array of offers for our customers from free parking through to premium parking.
“I don’t think customers really understand our parking proposition, we need to make it easier for them to make really conscious choices between how much they are prepared to pay verses the convenience they’re prepared to give up for lower prices.”
EXTRA LANES TO EASE CITYLINK CRAWL.
A SLICE OF CITY’S TOP END ARRIVES AT AIRPORT.
HIGHPOINT STOP PLAN FOR AIRPORT RAIL LINK.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victor ... d22b9e866c

[Roderick Smith]

November 23 2017 Sunshine route to Melbourne Airport backed by rail group.
The latest vision for a rail line to Melbourne Airport has been backed by transport engineers and planners who say the Andrews government's Sunshine route has serious merit.
A Melbourne Airport train line has been discussed for almost 50 years, with the first bill to begin its construction introduced to the Victorian parliament in 1965.
A Melbourne airport rail line has been planned since the mid-1960s but the Andrews government says construction will begin on the rail link between Southern Cross Station and Tullamarine airport within less than a decade.
It has never been built.
On Thursday, Premier Daniel Andrews told a business gathering that construction of the airport rail link would begin within a decade.
The announcement drew immediate ridicule from the Opposition, which produced a 1999 Labor pledge for a "rapid transit link" to the airport.
"This isn't an announcement, it's a media stunt," Opposition public transport spokesman David Davis said of Thursday's announcement.
But Mr Andrews said that "planning has already begun" on the rail link, which had "the potential to unlock western and northern Victoria".
The Sunshine route for an airport train has been given the thumbs up by planners and engineers. Photo: Paul Jeffers "It can create the extra capacity that we need in the congested rail corridor between Melbourne and Sunshine," he said.
While the government released scant detail of its planning work, the information that has emerged mirrors a proposal by Rail Futures, a group of respected transport engineers and planners.
In May the group released its plan for an airport rail line via Sunshine that would see regional trains, including those to Bendigo, running via the airport.
Rail Futures president John Hearsch, an experienced rail industry consultant, said an airport rail link needed to get from the CBD within 15 minutes.
It also had to be very reliable, separated from the suburban network, and "well and truly future proof".
Melbourne's rapid population growth at its fringes is placing immense pressure on the city's regional trains.
The Regional Rail Link, a new line through Melbourne's west for regional trains, opened in 2015.
It connected some of Australia's fastest growing suburbs to the rail system and turned the Geelong line into a "pseudo-suburban service" with increased overcrowding and slower journey times.
The Regional Rail Link's two suburban stations in Tarneit and Wyndham Vale already carry almost half the Geelong line's passengers, despite opening only two years ago.
Mr Andrews said in his speech to the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry that an airport rail link would untangle Geelong and Ballarat line trains from the metro network.
He also said it would enable the electrification of services to Melbourne's western suburbs.
This would mean electrifying the Regional Rail Link – which runs only diesel trains – as far as Wyndham Vale and building a new pair of tracks alongside it for express Geelong trains.
Similarly it would mean electrifying the Ballarat line to Melton or even Bacchus Marsh and building separate tracks for Ballarat trains.
Paul Westcott, the Public Transport Users Association's Geelong convener, said Geelong passengers "think they've been dudded" by the Regional Rail Link.
"Overcrowding has been exacerbated by Geelong lines having to become pseudo metro trains," he said.
Similar problems had emerged on the Ballarat line since Caroline Springs station opened in January, he said.
Mr Westcott described the premier's announcement as a sketch for planners to get started on. "He's sketched what he'd like but there's certainly nothing much on paper," he said.
The Turnbull government has pitched in $30 million for a business case for the airport rail link, and will spend $15 million this financial year.
Federal Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher said the investigation would "identify and assess a number of potential alignments, some of which have been considered before, including an alignment through Sunshine".
A meeting was held at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday of state and federal transport ministers, rail operators and SkyBus and councils. Also present was pension fund giant IFM Investors, which owns almost a quarter of Melbourne Airport. It has previously been reported as wanting to partner with the Victorian government to build the rail link.
Also at the meeting was Peter O'Brien, a consultant who has been lobbying for an airport rail line for several years. He was highly critical of the state government's regional rail push for the airport link. He predicted little would occur as a result of this week's announcement.
"It's going to be a frankly very timid effort for the next 12 months - people don't want to progress this at all," he said.
In December, Infrastructure Victoria said a rail link to Melbourne Airport would be needed within the next 15 to 30 years.
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